I found the quote from Michael Taussig to be particularly interesting. "We would be unwise to overlook or underestimate the role of terror... Not only a psychological state but also a social fact and a cultural construction whose baroque dimensions allow it to serve a the mediator par excellence of colonial hegemony."

Terror was and is a critical component of subordination. The fear it instills in people promotes disunity and chaos. This allows for more control and for the "terrorists" to dominate. This situation seems to be what occured in Guatemala during its colonization by the Spanish. Estimate suggest there were large numbers of Mayans living in Guatemala at the time of colonization, but their population was rapidly decimated. The Spanish were able, in any cases, to quickly and efficiently gain control over the Mayan communities by creating chaos and instilling fear.

These same principles are still relevant to present-day examples as well. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 were meant to cause the same chaos and fear that occured in the Mayan communities. That chaos and panic disrupts our way of life and shakes our foundation. Air travel was changed forever on that day just as the Mayan communities lives were changed when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Guatemala.